How to apply to Cal Poly San Luis Obispo for engineering: 13 majors in the College of Engineering, admission by major, every program impacted, with admission routes and prerequisites for U.S., international (including Chinese) and transfer students

Cal Poly San Luis Obispo (Cal Poly) is part of the California State University (CSU) system, and undergraduate engineering is offered by its College of Engineering. Here is what you need to know for fall 2027 entry, based on official Cal Poly information, for U.S. students, international students and applicants from China, followed by transfer students.

1. Engineering majors

• 13 undergraduate majors across 10 departments (all B.S.): aerospace engineering (aeronautics or astronautics), biomedical engineering (bioinstrumentation, cell therapy or mechanical design), civil, computer engineering, computer science, electrical, environmental, general engineering, industrial, manufacturing, materials, mechanical and software engineering. Computer science is covered in a separate guide.
• ABET: the catalog’s accreditation page lists aerospace, biomedical, civil, computer, electrical, environmental, industrial, manufacturing, materials, mechanical and software engineering as accredited by ABET’s Engineering Accreditation Commission; general engineering is not on that list. The list also includes engineering degrees in other colleges, such as architectural engineering.

2. Admission: by major, and every major is impacted

• Application: Cal Poly uses the CSU’s Cal State Apply, with a $70 fee per campus.
• Choose a major: you must pick a major and compete only with applicants to that major (general engineering is a separate major of its own).
• Impaction: the CSU designates the Cal Poly campus and all undergraduate majors as impacted, so meeting CSU minimums does not guarantee admission; thresholds differ by major depending on space and applicant numbers. Local applicants (high schools in San Luis Obispo County, northern Santa Barbara County and southern Monterey County) get priority. Cal Poly suggests also applying to other campuses with the same major.
• Alternate major: first-years may list one alternate, considered only if space remains after the first choice.
• Changing majors: you cannot change majors after the application change deadline (31 January), and Cal Poly says changing majors after admission is not guaranteed. The pages we read do not give criteria for moving into an engineering major; ask engineering advising.

3. Review and prerequisites

• GPA: a weighted GPA for college-prep courses in grades 9 to 11, with extra weight for honors, college, AP and IB courses, based on self-reported grades.
• Other factors: activities, work and internship experience, and leadership, under a multi-criteria admission (MCA) review.
• High school math: the CSU minimum is three years (two of algebra, one of geometry); Cal Poly suggests two more years of advanced math (such as trigonometry, pre-calculus, calculus or statistics). The pages we read do not list separate physics or chemistry requirements for engineering.
• SAT/ACT: the Cal Poly admissions pages we read do not mention them.

4. Dates (fall 2027)

• Filing period: 1 October to 30 November 2026 (11:59 p.m. PT) on Cal State Apply; late applications are not accepted.
• Changes: last day 31 January.
• Decisions: all applicants hear by 1 April; accept or decline in the Application Status Portal by 1 May.
• Aid: the California Dream Act application opens on 1 October and you should file the FAFSA as soon as possible; admitted students get aid details in April, and scholarships are awarded from April to August.

5. U.S. students: costs

• 2026-27 estimates for new students (first enrolled fall 2026), USD:
  • California resident tuition and fees: $15,720 in the Colleges of Engineering, Architecture or Agriculture, versus $14,682 in Science and Math, Business and Liberal Arts. Engineering costs more than those colleges.
  • Total for California residents in engineering living in a residence hall: $41,342.
  • Non-residents also pay $14,130 in non-resident tuition (30 units at $471) and an $8,804 non-resident opportunity fee; the engineering total is $64,276 in a residence hall and $67,078 on or off campus.
• Local priority: see section 2.
• Aid: apply through the FAFSA or California Dream Act. The pages we read do not list engineering scholarships for U.S. students.

6. International students

• Credentials: meet the country-based entry requirements and minimum English scores.
• English: TOEFL 80 (new format 4.5 for tests after 21 January 2026), IELTS 6.5 or Duolingo 115, within two years; three years at an English-medium school can qualify for a waiver.
• Dates: the same 1 October to 30 November filing period; all documents by 15 February; complete files hear by 1 April.
• Costs: on top of base and non-resident fees, international students pay a $900 international student fee and $1,533 for mandatory health insurance; the engineering estimate is $69,511 (same for on- and off-campus housing).
• Funding: Cal Poly does not give financial aid to international students, who must show they or a sponsor can pay all costs.

7. Applicants from China

• Credentials: the country table says applicants from China need a high school graduation certificate, with Gaokao results “preferred”. No Gaokao score is published; ask Cal Poly admissions.
• Competing by major: like everyone else, you choose a specific engineering major, compete within it and may list one alternate.
• English: usually TOEFL, IELTS or Duolingo (section 6).

8. Transfer students

• Credits: most majors need at least 60 transferable semester units (90 quarter units) before transfer.
• Golden Four: oral communication, written communication, critical thinking and math or quantitative reasoning, each with a C- or better.
• Mechanical engineering as an example (fall 2027): required are English communication, oral communication, composition, and critical thinking and composition; Calculus I, II and III (MATH 1261, 1262, 2263), Linear Analysis or Linear Algebra I, and Differential Equations I; General Physics I and II; CHEM 1120; Engineering Statics (ME 2210); and a programming course (ME 2240 or one of several CSC courses). Desired: Electric Circuit Analysis I, materials engineering principles and lab, engineering design communication, mechanics of materials, and engineering dynamics. Finish these by the spring before fall entry; completing them does not guarantee admission. Check each major’s page for other engineering majors.
• Matching courses: California community college students can use assist.org; out-of-state and four-year transfers compare catalog descriptions themselves, as Cal Poly cannot evaluate transcripts before selection.
• Dates: the same 1 October to 30 November filing period.

Checklist

U.S. students:

• Apply on Cal State Apply between 1 October and 30 November 2026, choose a specific engineering major, and list an alternate if you wish
• Take advanced math; file the FAFSA or California Dream Act early

International students (including applicants from China):

• Same filing period; all documents by 15 February; high school graduation certificate, Gaokao results preferred
• IELTS 6.5, new-format TOEFL 4.5 or Duolingo 115; no financial aid for international students

Transfer students:

• 60 semester units, the Golden Four, and your major’s math, physics and chemistry courses, all finished by the spring before fall entry

Sources: Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, College of Engineering undergraduate majors; Catalog: accreditation; First-year selection criteria; High school course requirements; First-year dates; Impaction; Country-based entry requirements; English exam requirements; International dates; Transfer selection criteria; Mechanical engineering transfer courses; 2026-27 undergraduate costs. Information is for fall 2027 entry (costs are for new students in 2026-27). Check Cal Poly’s website for the latest.